Yakub Memon: Support grows for Mumbai bomb plotter's plea

Yakub Memon is now lodged in a prison in the western city of Nagpur

Indian actor Salman Khan has joined a chorus asking for the suspension of the death sentence to 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon.

Politicians, social activists, journalists and lawyers had urged President Pranab Mukherjee to commute the sentence.

Mr Khan tweeted supporting Memon, but deleted the tweets later.

Memon had filed a fresh plea after the Supreme Court last week dismissed a curative petition against his sentence.

The Supreme Court will hear a fresh petition on Monday to stay the hanging which, Indian media reports say, is due for Thursday.

On Saturday night, the actor took to Twitter to say Memon should not be hanged for his brother Tiger's sins.

Tiger Memon is believed to have played an instrumental role in carrying out the attacks, which killed 257 people, and injured 713.

Yakub Memon has been accused of providing financial and logistical support.

Salman Khan's tweets prompted outrage in India

"Hang Tiger. Brother is being hanged for Tiger. Arre Where is Tiger? Get Tiger hang him. Parade him not his brother," Khan said, in the now deleted tweets.

"One innocent man killed is killing the humanity," he added.

The actor also tweeted to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and asked him whether Tiger Memon was hiding in Pakistan.

The tweets prompted instant outrage, with the state's governing BJP party even asking for the actor's bail in a hit-and-run case to be cancelled.

The actor deleted the tweets after his father, Salim Khan, asked the public to ignore the "ignorant" and "meaningless" tweets.

He later, however, tweeted this:

But Salman Khan is not the only prominent personality asking for mercy for Memon.

Several influential journalists, politicians and members of civil society have sent a letter to the president in this regard.

"We most humbly request your Excellency to consider the case of Yakub Abdul Razak Memon and spare him from the noose of the death for a crime that was master-minded by someone else to communally divide India," an excerpt from the letter reads.

Senior politicians from different parties, including India's governing BJP, have signed the petition.

Senior lawyers like Ram Jethmalani, KTS Tulsi and filmmaker Mahesh Bhat are also among the signatories.

Senior journalist N Ram, who has signed the letter, also tweeted on Monday to support Memon's plea.